St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-09-17
Law AND PRECEDENT AS TO
THIRD TERMS
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PiraN l!ile.


The proposal to give 8. D. MrEnery
third term ~ Governor ut Louisiana Ia
without precedent. In the " hole histn-
ry Of this State only one luan, Andre
b. Roman, has been twice elected I"
the Gnvtrn"r's office and no man has
been elected for twu consecutive terms.
Tue ruIe "f rotation in the office ut
the Chief Executive in Louisiana fas
been mnie than traditional! until 1864
it wAs euIhoiird in the organic law Of
the common wealth. The Cnnatifuiinn
of 1912. the first Constitution of thit
State, declared Article III. src. 8:
The Gorernor shall he ineligible for the
succeeding four gears after the eTpira-
ton Of the time for uhich he shall hare
been eiectedn
ldenllcally the same provision ia
fnnnd in the Constitution of ls45
(Titi+ III, At All. and III the Constr
tntion of 1852 Guile III, Art. 49, II
wHs never nut at the constitution until
1864. being omitted for the first time in
the instt uirr,t framed by the conven-
ton presided over by Judge DHrell.
Il was restored in the Constitution at
1868 Critic Ill. Art. SOY, hnt was stricken
nnt hy an amendment in 1870.
Ei.ltiIity for eren too consecutive
terms was, therefore, Republican, IN
novalinn. From the admission of L"ui-
~imna Ia the Union uutil the year be-
fore the close of the War Of secession,
it WAS held u he impolitic 4nd danger
nil4 to their lIbrrties by the people tn
permit any citizen, however great hls
ability ur however Cnnspicunls his ser
vice. to occupy the Governors office for
more than four Years without Interrupt
tinn, HI great was their opposition to
the unhemncratic tendency of long or
indefinite. possession nf The at'pointing
nn~+r. But if they regarded it unsafe
TO dlIO,C t,cO consecutive terms, hoW pre-
posterous ,roun they hare held the pro-
pOS0t to elect GorernOr for a third
termf
Such has been the dominant arnti-
mtnt nf the American people from the
first. Alhnugi, the Constitution Ut the
number uf terms for which candidate
may l,r eligible to the Presidency, the
nnitnrm practice IF the country for one
hundred years haA tixe Che limit ar
two. General Grant, alone Of all tn"
Presidents, sought n ,hlrd term, and
It WIS refused to him.
When, in iis is>tlt of yesterday morn
ing, the Tunes Democrat said, Il he
people of the United STATES never &C
rnStd that great representative ut ID n
nrratic ideas. Th"rnas j. tf,-rsnt,, 1T
third te,mi>m hrchu>e they chnS,. Linn
nurp as Wee PtrsId"nt, aud twice alter
wind ~ Prrsidrn'," il wandered far
from the point. 1t the P'rsih"nr had
,lird while Jrtfrrs"n was Wee Pt'-i
dent parullti might have ht.u ..S-
rahlishtd. huI such WAS nnE The case.
II Mr.. Arthur had been nominated aud
"A 10 Il.
# hr had not died. and 1T w,,- pro-
posed tn elect bun again IN 1893. then
the. T. D could find in his HISTORY pre-
ri~"ly the precedent it needs. Mr.
J. ff,rsnn was never President, and
never dispensed the patronage Of The
Presidents office, until he succ-ti-d
Mr. Adams.
The limit fixed by the common sense
eff the people j. eight years far chief
executive. If Governor McEn-ry
<hnnlh he re~+lrctri. aud live ~ the
end If the term. h. wnnId OCCUPY the
office OF cIief executive as this Stats.
for more than ten years--nearer eleven
years than ten.
T., make sn striking an exception in
his case wnnli be as unnecessary IA
UNPRECEDENTED, and in our Judgment it
wnn'd he franght with danger bath 10
the Democratic party and tn the State
1T Louisiana. He has already ~ in.
trench-h himself in office nv the. nae of
O. thar snme men dnnht whether
even large majority can force hin, on.
If his position.
The claim that Governor MrEurry's
~ election wnuld give him second.
and not third term. ia only a verbal
Quihble. His recollection would certain.
~ result in giving him more than ,wo
t-rms-m"rr than the eight years en-.
l,racpd in two tprms. The patronage
If the State has been enng aui,stan-
TALLY all in one direction, all t" one
factinn, for two terms, and il McEnerv
is reelected the consequence will be-
that the Ring will enjoy third term,